Ties
by WizardDemigodAvian-American
Summary: Before their wedding, Fitz and Simmons reminisce to when they met and other significant moments in their history that revolved around ties.


"Jemma!" Fitz exclaims, "What are you doing here? Isn't it bad luck?"

"Well, we're already cursed, aren't we?" Jemma says with a laugh.

"That's not funny, Jemma," Fitz says, "You're going to let that go one day, aren't you?"

"Probably not," she admits. Fitz groans.

"Where's your tie?" Jemma asks.

"On the table," he answers and points to the table behind her. Jemma turns around to get it, and Fitz sees the word "bride" written on the back of her white robe. He can't keep himself from smiling.

"What?" Jemma asks and blushes. Fitz alway looks at her in such a loving way!

"I was just looking at my beautiful soon-to-be-wife," Fitz says. It is Jemma's turn to smile.

"I like the sound of that," she says.

"Me, too," he says. He pecks he kisses her softly on the lips as she puts his tie around his neck.

"I can tie my own tie, Jem," Fitz insists.

"Definitely not," she argues, "I've always tied your ties. Don't you remember how unkempt you were before you met me?"

"I was definitely lost," Fitz agrees as they reminisce.

* * *

11 years ago (SHIELD Academy Year 1)

"Jemma Simmons, your partner for the project will be Leo Fitz," Professor Weaver says.

"Milton, you will be with..." Jemma hears vaguely as she looks at her new lab partner. She is nervous because Leo Fitz is intimidating to her. He isn't intimating in the way that the field agents are. (For God's sake he can't even tie his tie.) He seems shy but you can tell he is intelligent beyond measures from a mile away. They've been competing all semester. (And he's also kind of cute.)

"Simmons?" The shy, pasty boy asks. Jemma nods.

"Fitz?" She asks, even though she know the answer. He nods.

"Engineering," he says and hold out his hand.

"Biochem," she says and shakes his hand.

"Remember students, these will be your lab partners for the rest of the class!" Professor Weaver reminds them. Simmons gulps. Hopefully she can learn to work with Fitz.

They fumble through working together at the beginning of the class, but once Fitz makes a clever comment about Milton's odd shaped head that someone lacking a PhD at sixteen would likely not understand, they get along surprisingly well. By the end of the class, they are finishing each other's sentences.

A few moments before the bell is about to ring, Simmons finds herself once again looking at Fitz's tie. Fitz is dressed in a bright red shirt and a striped red and navy tie. It is tied horribly wrong and makes him look quite disheveled. They are already days ahead of the rest of the class, so Simmons stops putting things away and walks towards Fitz.

"May I?" She asks and unties his tie.

"What are...?" Fitz stammers and blushes as a few people glance over at them.

"I always thought they'd be perfect for each other if they'd just say something to each other, but I never expected Simmons to start undressing him in class!" a classmate says behind them.

"I think she's just fixing his tie," someone else responds.

"Even so, that's a huge step forward," the first person says.

"You're the smartest person in most every room, but you can't tie a tie," Simmons laughs as she reties the tie.

"Yeah, my father said he'd teach me, but he, uh, never got around to it," Fitz explains.

"Well, now you look perfect," Simmons says and goes back to putting away their notes.

No one knows how they didn't know they were soul mates after that day. How else could they go from being "bitter rivals" to finishing each other's sentences and having no physical boundaries in one class?

* * *

For the next week, every day that Fitz wears a tie, Simmons sighs good-naturedly, retire it, and Fitz even eventually gets used too the casual close contact with another person.

"Yeah, just a minute," Fitz says as he finishes buttoning in his shirt and walks to the door.

"Simmons? Was I meeting you? Did I forget?" Fitz asks. Simmons doesn't answer and concentrates on his bright orange shirt.

"No," she finally answers "Gray, I think."

Simmons takes the door and walks inside past Fitz. /div

"Where do you keep your ties?" Simmons asks.

"The bedroom closet," Fitz answers and points and points to his closed bedroom. The SHEILD dormitories are small, but nice. There is a small living area with a couch and coffee table and a small kitchen attached.

"Do you have a roommate?" She asks cautiously.

"Yeah, but he's rarely here," Fitz replies. His roommate, Ralph, is an engineer, too, but he will probably end up just teaching a beginners class at the academy if he ever graduates.

"Good, I didn't want to walk in on anything," Simmons says and walks into Fitz's closet. She picks up a charcoal gray tie and looks at it approvingly.

"Come here," Simmons laughs, "What's wrong with you today?" She has only really known Fitz for a week, but she feels like she has known him her whole life. How could she have possibly gone through her day without him by her side?

"Sorry," he says and shakes his head. He closes the gap between them and she starts tying his tie.

"I'm just not used to anyone being in my dorm or really even having anyone to talk to," Fitz admits.

"Well, get used to it," Simmons says and Fitz smiles.

"I think I can."

* * *

Fitz looks at his tie and sighs. He can't tie it. The tie lies on his bed and mocks him it's just another example of how damaged he is now.

"It's alright, Fitz. You didn't tie your ties before the-" hallucinated Simmons says.

"Not now, Simmons," Fitz says and waves her off. He is irritable with Simmons for some reason. He can't really remember why he can't keep his temper with her. He feels abandoned and empty. It's probably just the brain damage.

Fitz doesn't wear the tie.

* * *

Simmons comes back.

After a few painful days of being near her best friend (and maybe, definitely, hopefully something more) but not really be with him, she notices something.

"Excuse me," she says and leaves what she is working on. She walks past the other lab workers and makes a beeline for her room.

Fitz hasn't worn a tie.

He hasn't worn a tie since she got back she is positive that he hasn't worn one while she was gone either.

Jemma thought she was helping him recover without having to see her, but maybe she was wrong. Jemma sobs as she wonders if she hurt Fitz when he was at his weakest. Maybe he needs her just as much as she needs him.

Jemma gets in control of her emotions and glances back in the lab. Fitz is still there. She takes a moment and just looks at him. Apart from the lack of bright colors, he appears just like her Fitz for a moment.

Jemma sneaks into Fitz's closet and finds his ties. She ties a few of her favorites and a few of his. She remembers that he doesn't wear bright colors anymore, so she ties a several darker neutral ties and leaves them for him to find.

Fitz doesn't wear the ties. He notices, and he appreciates them, but he doesn't wear the ties.

* * *

"Jem?" Fitz says and knocks of her doorframe.

"Fitz," she smiles. It wavers, however, when she notices he isn't wearing a tie with his suit.

"Would you, uh... I mean, you used to, so, would you mind," Fitz rambles.

"Tying your tie?" She finishes his sentence. Fitz nods and holds it out to her.

"I'd love to," Jemma says and takes the tie from him.

"What's got you so happy? You look like you're about to explode," Fitz comments as she ties his tie.

"You do, Fitz. I know it's insignificant, but I feel like we're back now. We're Fitzsimmons again. I tied your tie the first day we were properly introduced, you know," she says.

"Of course I remember, Jemma. Do you think I'd forget the beautiful, smart girl who told me I was rubbish at tying ties?" He jokes.

"I really don't know what possessed me to just walk up to you and fix it. I'd met you less than an hour ago," she laughs.

"It's like you said, we were Fitzsimmons," Fitz hesitates before saying, "but I'm hope we're past where we were then."

"We are, Fitz," Jemma says and assures him with a kiss. She takes full advantage of his perfectly tied tie to pull him closer to her.

"Stupid mission," Fitz says when he comes up for air. He definitely prefers this reason of being without oxygen to, well, you know.

"Stupid mission, indeed," she agrees. She gives him one last peck.

"I'll see you later?" Jemma asks.

"Of course, this is our mission. I have an excuse to make sure you stay safe," Fitz says.

* * *

[wedding]

"Simmons!" Daisy exclaims, "what are you doing! You can't be in there! You will not ruin my OTP's wedding! Fitz, turn around! Jemma, come her!"

"It's only bad luck if I'm in m wedding dress. I purposely didn't wear my dress to put on my makeup and do my hair," Jemma explains.

"No excuses! You two have had enough bad luck. You deserve to be happy," Daisy says.

"You have a great maid of honor," Fitz whispers as he kisses her on the cheek as Daisy drags her away.

"I do," she agrees, "but what is an OTP?"


End file.
